Is cloud archiving right for your business?

As businesses turn away from traditional in-house IT infrastructures, many have turned to the cloud for archiving.

According to TechTarget, cloud archiving is an attractive option because it provides superior accessibility and data preservation features at a fraction of the cost of past archiving methods

When determining if cloud archiving is the right choice for a business, there are a number of areas that need to be considered.

Data accessibility and recoverability

One of the benefits of the cloud is its ability to make information accessible from anywhere with a wireless internet connection. When deciding whether or not to use the cloud for archiving, it is important to make sure the companies' accessibility needs are met. The source also stated that specifying a recovery point objective and recovery time objective requirements with cloud-based archives is necessary. Knowing what the company can handle in terms of data loss and application unavailability is key before making the switch to cloud archives.

Backup and recovery, disaster protection

When deciding to make the switch to the cloud, knowing how backup and recovery, as well as disaster protection, effect the business is essential. The source stated that if the archive uses an off-site server, then a disaster recovery plan may not be needed, but it is important to note that most hosted storage doesn't include a data recovery contingency. As far as backup, the source warned that some technologies used by the provider to saves archives may not be compatible with the company's IT systems, so there could be a delay if backups ever need to be utilized.

The cloud provides a good alternative to older technologies, such as tapes, for archiving. It is important to remember that the tapes will need to be transferred to the cloud, a process that can be lengthy and frustrating, according to the source.

Although the process of moving archives to the cloud may be tedious, the accessibility benefits will be great once the transition is completed. With older technologies, it could take a lengthy period of time to locate old archives, but the cloud allows this search to be done almost instantly.

According to Talk Tech to Me, the best cloud-based archiving solution will offer maximum availability, support for different email systems, a tamper-proof database, audit trails and an easy-to-use search functionality. It is a good option to consider if the headaches associated with traditional archiving have become too much to handle.